Lansdowne – A hill resort of Uttaranchal

Lying 600 meters above sea level in the state of Uttaranchal is yet another beautiful land of India called Lansdowne. As you must be wondering about its British name, it is named in honor of Sir Petty Fitzmaurice, the Earl of Lansdowne and the Viceroy of India (1888-1894) who set up the Garhwal rifles military cantonment in that area. Lansdowne is a romantic place. It has pine and oak trees and greenery. Besides, the picturesque views of the Western Himalayas are a rare treat to the eyes of the beholder. Snow View and Tiffin Top are the famous points of this place from where you can get to see some beautiful sights.

There are some temples and shrines around Lansdowne that are worth visiting. The Jwalpa Devi temple on the Pauri-Kotwal road (47 kms away from Lansdowne), the Tarakeshwar Mahadev Temple that has a famous Shivalinga and one of the most ancient Siddhipeeths(30 kms. away from Lansdowne), and the Durga Devi temple(24 kms away from Lansdowne) are some wonderful representations of Hindu religion and mythology that you should not miss out on. The legendary Karnava Ashram (14 kms from Lansdowne, where Shakuntala, the legendary character from Kalidasa’s timeless epic Shakuntalam, was said the give birth to Raja Bharat) are places that you should visit.

This place has a pleasant climate and the best time to visit it is from March to October. You can take a flight to Delhi and travel by road or train from Delhi to Lansdowne. You can get your hotel reservation done in a discount hotel of the place. The Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, the Army Welfare Board Rest House, the Uttaranchal Forest Department and the PWD Inspection Bunglow are government buildings where you can consider lodging. There are hotels suiting every pocket but you can choose a cheap hotel if you want to be economical.